US Military Vessel 'Illegally Intruded' China's Territorial Waters: Violated 'Sovereignty And Security,' Says Beijing

The Chinese army said it drove away a U.S. guided-missile cruiser that “illegally intruded” into waters near the South China Sea on Tuesday, alleging that it violated its sovereignty and security. 

What Happened: The spokesman for the Southern Theatre Command of the People’s Liberation Army, Tian Junli, said, “The actions of the U.S. military seriously violated China’s sovereignty and security.”

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Although the U.S. Navy disputed the claims, the USS Chancellorsville guided-missile cruiser had recently sailed through the Taiwan Strait – which divides mainland China and the island nation, where Beijing claims sovereignty, reported Reuters.

The U.S. Navy, in a statement, called the Chinese dubbed the claims “false” and called it “the latest in a long string of PRC actions to misrepresent lawful U.S. maritime operations.”

“USS Chancellorsville (CG 62) conducted this FONOP in accordance with international law and then continued on to conduct normal operations in waters where high seas freedoms apply,” the statement said.

“The United States is defending every nation’s right to fly, sail, and operate wherever international law allows,” it added.

In July this year, China also took issue with an American guided-missile destroyer that was spotted near the disputed Paracel Islands in the South China Sea.

Meanwhile, Chinese troops would remain on high alert, the Southern Theatre Command wrote on its WeChat social media account.

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